My blog, BooktalkThree, is dedicated to presenting sets of three booktalks that can be used together. Below, I describe what a booktalk is and why people write them.

1. What is a Booktalk?
By Carey Hagan

2. Booktalk
My blog, BooktalkThree, is dedicated to
presenting sets of three booktalks that can be
used together. Below, I describe what a booktalk
is and why people write them.

3. Booktalk
In the broadest terms, a booktalk is simply a
piece of writing or a speech given to convince
someone to read a book. Traditionally, booktalks
have been used primarily in school settings.
Increasingly, however, they are used in other
situations as well, such as at readings by
authors, at book signings, or in book clubs.

4. Booktalk
Nobody knows where the concept of booktalking
originated; it may simply have stemmed from
individuals telling their friends about the books
they like. Writing in the 1930s, Margaret Edwards
was the first author to mention booktalks. The
word itself dates to 1985 and was coined by
Aidan Chambers, an author of children’s
literature.

5. Booktalk
Most booktalks are under 10 minutes, and they
can be as short at 30 seconds. The ideal booktalk
will use some element of the book to pique the
reader’s interest, without providing a resolution,
like a movie trailer.

6. Booktalk
For young people, booktalks are designed to
encourage the individual to read. Faced by a wide
range of entertainment options, many teenagers
turn away from books, but hopefully booktalks
can reverse that trend. On the other hand,
booktalks designed for adults serve the function
of giving recommendations or previews of new
titles. This second usage appeared in the 1980s.

7. Booktalk
Experts are divided as to the effectiveness of
booktalks. Although only limited research has been
conducted into this popular approach to literature
promotion, some common trends have appeared. For
instance, books that are booktalked in a library tend to
circulate more than others. It should be noted,
however, that this observation does not prove
causality: The booktalker may have chosen the book
because it is popular, or the book may have become
popular because of being booktalked. Another
common observation on this method of promotion is
that they do not change a listener’s overall attitude to
reading. As such, booktalks may be most effective in
the adult, recommendation-type format.

8. Booktalk
Regardless, many people enjoy booktalks and
they continue to be a popular way to discuss
books. If you are interested in seeing the
booktalks I have prepared, they can be read at
booktalkthree.blogspot.com.